Belt lacing machine

ABSTRACT

A belt lacing machine for inserting a series of generally Ushaped hooks having inwardly bent tips into an end portion of the belt includes a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, and a pair of crossed links of equal length pivotally connected together at a position midway along their lengths. One end of each link is pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the fixed jaw, and the other end of each link is pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the movable jaw. A magazine for a series of hooks is connected to the links at the midlength position to position the hooks midway between the jaws. The movable jaw is moved towards the fixed jaw to force the hooks into a belt end portion inserted between the tips of the hooks and to pivot the links relatively to one another so that the hooks are maintained midway between the jaws.

Elite States atet Thomson [54] BELT LACING MACHINE [72] Inventor: George A. Thomson, Burlington,

Ontario, Canada [73] Assignee: Bulldog Lacing Limited, Hamilton,

Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: March 17, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 20,247

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 20, 1969 Canada ..O46283 [52] US. Cl ..29/243.5l [51] Int. Cl. ....B23p 11/00 [58] Field of Search ..29/243.5,243.51,243.57, 243.58

[56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 847,231 6/ 1939 France ..29/243.51 1,096,562 2/1955 France ..29/243.51 816,521 7/1959 Great Britain ..29/243.51

Primary ExaminerAndrew R. Juhasz Assistant ExaminerLeon Gilden Att0rney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT A belt lacing machine for inserting a series of generally U-shaped hooks having inwardly bent tips into an end portion of the belt includes a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, and a pair of crossed links of equal length pivotally connected together at a position midway along their lengths. One end of each link is pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the fixed jaw, and the other end of each link is pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the movable jaw. A magazine for a series of hooks is connected to the links at the midlength position to position the hooks midway between the jaws. The movable jaw is moved towards the fixed jaw to force the hooks into a belt end portion inserted between the tips of the hooks and to pivot the links relatively to one another so that the hooks are maintained midway between the jaws.

6Claims,2DrawingFigures PATENTED Aus 29 1972 SHEET 2 BF 2 FIGZ BELT LACING MACE This invention relates to belt lacing machines, that is to say machines for attaching generally U-shaped hooks having inwardly bent tips to the end portion of a belt to enable the end portion to be subsequently connected to a similarly hooked belt end portion. Such a connection is made by interleaving the hooks of the two belt end portions, and then threading a connecting pin through the hooks to form a pivotal joint.

Belt lacing machines usually have a pair of relatively movable jaws, and a magazine for holding the hooks between the jaws. A belt end portion is inserted between the inwardly bent tips of the hooks while the jaws are in an open position, and the jaws are then closed to force the inwardly bent tips of the hooks into opposite sides of the belt and thereby secure the hooks thereto.

In order to obtain satisfactory results, it is desirable to maintain the hooks midway between the jaws as they close. In some machines, this is achieved by providing a stationary magazine with both jaws being movable towards one another. However, the necessity in this case of providing mechanism for moving both jaws and synchronizing such movement unduly complicates the machine. In other machines, one jaw is stationary while the other jaw is movable, but the magazine is also stationary and hence the hooks are not continually in a position midway between the jaws as they are closed.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a belt lacing machine in which only one jaw is movable and in which the magazine is maintained in a position midway between the jaws as they close.

According to the invention, the movable jaw and fixed jaw are connected by a pair of crossed links of equal length pivotally connected together at a position midway along their length, one end of each link being pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the fixed jaw and the other end of each link being pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the movable jaw, and the magazine is connectible to the links at the midlength position.

Each lost motion connection may be formed by a slot in the respective end portion of each link and a pin secured to the respective jaw and slidable in the slot.

if desired, more than one such pair of crossed links may be provided, the pairs of links being in side-by-side relationship.

The movable jaw is preferably actuated in the closing sense by hydraulic pressure.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which,

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view, partly in elevation, of a belt lacing machine, taken along a line 11 of FIG. 2, showing the jaws partly closed, and

FIG. 2 is a front view of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, a belt lacing machine includes a housing 1 whose lower portion carries a fixed lower jaw 2. An upper movable jaw 3 located above the fixed jaw 2 is secured to the lower ends of piston rods 4 which extend from the lower ends of hydraulic cylinders 5. The upper ends of the cylinders 5 are secured to upper mounting brackets 50 in the upper portion of the housing 1.

The lower ends ofthe cylinders 5 are secured to lower mounting brackets 6 which each have two diametrically opposite apertures through which pass two rods 7 secured to the movable jaws 3. The end of each rod 7 remote from the movable jaw 3 has a head 8. Each rod '7 is surrounded by a coil spring 9 which engages the head 8 at one end and the flange 6 at the other end to bias the piston rod 4 in a direction into the cylinder 5, or in other words to bias the upper movable jaw 3 to an upper position in which it is spaced above the lower jaw 2. Each hydraulic cylinder 5 is connected to a source of hydraulic pressure (not shown) such that application of hydraulic pressure to the cylinder 5 causes the piston rod 4 to be extended, thereby moving the upper jaw 3 downwardly into contact with the lower fixed jaw 2.

The upper movable jaw 3 is connected to the lower fixed jaw 2 by two pairs of crossed links 10, 11 of equal length. The links 10, 11 of each pair are pivotally connected together at their midlength positions by a pin 12. One end of each link 10, 11 is connected to the upper movable jaw 3 by a lost motion connection formed by a pin 13 secured to the jaw 3 and a slot 14 in the end portion of the respective link 10, l 1, the pin 13 projecting into the slot 14 so as to be slidable therein. The other end of each link 10, 1 l is similarly connected to the lower fixed jaw 2 by a pin 15 secured to the jaw 2 and slidable in a slot 16 in the end portion of the respective link 10, 11. The pins 13, 15 project from the rear of the jaws 2, 3 so that the links 10, 11 are rearwardly spaced from the gap between the jaws.

Each pin 11 at the midpoint of the respective links l0, 11 projects forwardly from the links 10, 11 toward the gap between the jaws 2, 3, and the projecting portion of the pin 12 has a head 17 with an annular groove 17a. A hook magazine 18 carrying a series of hooks 19 is attachable to the heads 17 of the pins 12. The hooks 19 are secured in the magazine 18 by a removable rod 180. For clarity, the hooks 19 and rod have been omitted in FIG. 2. The magazine 18 has two bores in its rear face in which the heads 17 can enter when the magazine 18 is positioned to the rear of the gap between the jaws 2, 3 such that the hooks 19 are midway between the jaws 2, 3. The magazine 18 is retained in position by engagement of adjustable projections 21 in the respective annular grooves 17a in the heads 17. The projections may be spring loaded to enable the magazine to be easily attached to and detached from the pin heads 17.

In use, the jaws 2, 3 are normally in the open position, since the jaw 3 is urged to its upper position by the springs 9. A magazine 18 filled with hooks 19 is attached to the pin head 16, and the end portion of a belt is positioned between the inwardly bent tips 23 of the hooks 19. Hydraulic pressure is then applied to the cylinders 5, thereby forcing the upper jaw 3 downwardly. As the jaw 3 moves downwardly, the links 10, 11 pivot accordingly, with the pins 13, 15 moving in the slots 14, 16 towards the pins 12. The resultant movement of the pins 12 is such that they are always at the center of the rectangle formed by the pins 13, 15, and therefore the hooks 19 are always at a position midway between the jaws 2, 3 as the upper jaw 3 moves downwardly towards the jaw 2. During this movement, the hooks 19 are engaged by the jaws 2, 3 and the inwardly bent tips 23 of the hooks 19 are forced into the belt end portion.

lclaim:

1. A belt lacing machine for inserting a series of generally U-shaped hooks having inwardly bent tips into an end portion of a belt, said machine including a fixed jaw, a movable jaw movable towards the fixed jaw, a pair of crossed links of equal length pivotally connected together at a position midway along their lengths, one end of each link being pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the fixed jaw, the other end of each link being pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the movable jaw, and a magazine for a series of hooks, said magazine being connectible to the links at said midlength position to position the hooks midway between the jaws, and said movable jaw being movable towards the fixed jaw to force the hooks into a belt end portion inserted between the tips of the hooks and to pivot the links relatively to one another so that the hooks are maintained midway between the aws.

2. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein a further pair of crossed links is connected to the jaws and to the magazine in the same manner as the first pair of links, said further pair of links being in sideby-side relationship with the first pair of links.

3. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein each lost motion connection is formed by a slot in the respective end portion of each link and a pin secured to the respective jaw and slidable in the slot.

4. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein the movable jaw is moved towards the lower jaw by the application of fluid pressure to one or more hydraulic cylinders.

5. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein each lost motion connection is formed by a slot in the respective end portion of the link and'a pin secured to the respective jaw and slidable in the slot, and the movable jaw is moved towards the fixed jaw by the application of fluid pressure to one or more hydraulic cylinders.

6. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein the movable jaw is moved towards the lower jaw by the application of fluid pressure to one or more hydraulic cylinders, and the movable jaw is resiliently urged away from the fixed jaw by at least one spring. 

1. A belt lacing machine for inserting a series of generally Ushaped hooks having inwardly bent tips into an end portion of a belt, said machine including a fixed jaw, a movable jaw movable towards the fixed jaw, a pair of crossed links of equal length pivotally connected together at a position midway along their lengths, one end of each link being pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the fixed jaw, the other end of each link being pivotally connected by a lost motion connection to the movable jaw, and a magazine for a series of hooks, said magazine being connectible to the links at said midlength position to position the hooks midway between the jaws, and said movable jaw being movable towards the fixed jaw to force the hooks into a belt end portion inserted between the tips of the hooks and to pivot the links relatively to one another so that the hooks are maintained midway between the jaws.
 2. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein a further pair of crossed links is connected to the jaws and to the magazine in the same manner as the first pair of links, said further pair of links being in side-by-side relationship with the first pair of links.
 3. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein each lost motion connection is formed by a slot in the respective end portion of each link and a pin secured to the respective jaw and slidable in the slot.
 4. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein the movable jaw is moved towards the lower jaw by the application of fluid pressure to one or more hydraulic cylinders.
 5. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein each lost motion connection is formed by a slot in the respective end portion of the link and a pin secured to the respective jaw and slidable in the slot, and the movable jaw is moved towards the fixed jaw by the application of fluid pressure to one or more hydraulic cylinders.
 6. A belt lacing machine according to claim 1 wherein the movable jaw is moved towards the lower jaw by the application of fluid pressure to one or more hydraulic cylinders, and the movable jaw is resiliently urged away from the fixed jaw by at least one spring. 